Crop Progress Report

August 6 , 2007

Parts of State Benefit from Rain

The southeast and south central parts of Nebraska received rainfall this past week which slowed irrigation and helped the dryland corn, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office. The Southeast District received the most rain, averaging over two inches, and the Northwest District received the least amount, averaging just twenty hundredths of rain. The Northeast District remained dry and was the second district to drop below the normal precipitation since April 1.

Crop conditions remain high with only 1 percent of corn rating very poor, 4 poor, 19 fair, 48 good, and 28 excellent. This is well above last year’s 54 percent good or excellent rating. Irrigated corn rated 87 percent good or excellent, and dryland fields rated 59 percent. Corn in the dough stage was 47 percent, and 6 percent of corn was in the dent stage.

The following pictures are taken by FFA Chapters across the state representing each of the eight districts. They show the crop progress in each area and illustrate the differences in progress throughout the state of Nebraska.

The ears of corn below are starting to show signs of maturity. In the picture to the left, the silks have turned brown and are drying out which means that pollination is complete. This corn comes from the Henderson area in District 3. The corn on the right has started to dent which is the last stage an ear will go through while maturing. This picture was taken in a field near Sutton in District 2.

The pictures below show fields that have some common corn infections. The leaf in the picture to the left is showing signs of leaf miner. A leaf miner can be any of numerous small flies or moths that dig into and feed on leaf tissue. The field on the right has been sprayed with a fungicide to stop the progression of gray leaf spot. This infection can be caused by long periods of high humidity and moisture on the leaves. While both of these infections can slow growth and slightly reduce the yield, neither affect the quality of the corn.

The picture below comes from a field east of Sutton. It has not been irrigated in the last two weeks because it has received nearly five inches of precipitation.

Ag Facts

• The United States is the largest consumer of corn at 33% with China 2 nd at approximately 20%.
• United States growers produce almost 70% of the world’s corn exports. One of every 4 acres of cropland is planted to corn.
• The average American eats about 45 pounds of corn in a year.